Democratic Press, Volume 1, Number 10, Decatur, Adams County, 20 December 1894 — Page 8

HANG UP THE X-MAS STOCKING. COEFEE BROS HAS THE LARGEST STOCK OF CANDIES Ever brought to Decatur. They have CANDIES of every flavor and made in every form, and at PRICES never before equalled. They have barrels of candy, boxes of candy and candy tbr everybody. They have Oranges. Nuts, Bananas. They have Cakes. Pies and Bread, They have everything that is found in a first-class restaurant. Their new and commodious building which extends from Second street to the alley is chuck full of Fresh Groceries of every description. District school teachers who want to sweeten their pupils, will find COFFEE BROS. East side of S econd street.

NEAR UNTO DEATH. Bnaka Hunter O'Re illy'a Close Call with a Copperhead. C> in Putnam county, ju«t a short iiatano* east of Cold Spring on the Hudson, is a famous place for the most dangerous game to be found in thia part of the country —the copperhead. So common are those venomous snakes that hunters when intending to tramp throegh the thick underbrush or the tall marsh reeds which flank all the Toads about there wear heavy boots Teaching above the knee for protection agaiast the bitea In the very hot and dry weather, when snakes are liveliest and fiercest, sportsmen scarcely venture in the thicker part of the woods at all. The snake fame of this locality reached the ears of G. K. O'Reilly, of the Royal Zoological Society of Ireland, aa ophiologist who is in this country studying American snakes, and he decided to go up to Cold Spring and try to get some copperheads alive. Mr. O’Reilly has had experiences with the cobra of Africa, the fer-de-lance of the West Indies, the diamond-back rattlesnake of thie country and most of ths other venomous snakes known to science, but never did he come aearer to a disastrous termination of his career than on his little jaunt to Cold Spring. Also he was treated to a repetition of a lesson in snakery which he learned long ago, that one must be prepared for anything and everything in hunting snakes It was not a very favorable day when he reached Cold Spring with a companion from this city. The two went directly to L G Hanyen, of Nelsonville. who knows more about snakes than any other man in Putnam county, and asked him for information regarding the haunts of the copperheads “Go right down to Maddy bridge, about three miles from here," said the Veteraa. ’ Ton ean And more copperheads there than there is tn a barrel of applejack. What are you going to eatch 'em with?" "Here's our outfit,” said Mr. O’Reilly, exhibiting a long stick crooked at one end, and a big oag “I nail the copperhead down by putting the stick across his neck and then I drop him into the bag, and there you are " “Well,” said the old man, "I’d hate to Issue an insurance policy on your life.” The snake laughed, and after thanking Squire Hanyen for the Information, walked on with his companion. Toward noon it came on very warm, and the hunte.-sgoiug to Muddy bridge fell In with a young man named Lasher. O'Reilly’s friend went on about a mile to explore an open field, while the snake expert stayed to make some inquiries of Lasher. "I don't know how it is when you’re hunting for them," said that young man; "but when you're looking for efiier things there's more copperheads

than you want In this patch of wo at our right Thick boots have saved me more than onee in there. If you're going in I’ll stay here in the road and watch for snakes crossing over. But you want to be mighty careful where you step.” This advice was shouted after the scientist, who had already plunged into the thicket, taking his long stick with him. Progress was very slow. The explorer was pretty tired when he had forced hia way through a hundred yards of tbe thick tangle, and the sight of a little clearing where a big tree had fallen was very welcome. It was not quite a clearing either, for near the tree a thick netting of flowery creepers had sprung up, through which only small patches of ground could be seen. In one of these openings Mr. O’Reilly saw what appeared to be a good-sized copperhead. The snake had seen him, too, and with its head raised a few inches from the coil was watching him with interest. One of the peculiarities of a copperhead is that you can never tell when it will run and when it will stand and fight- Evidently this one's policy was to fight. It struck the naturalist even then that from what he could see of the coil there was an extraordinary lotof it O'Reilly pressed the thick growth of creepers over to either side and then shot his stick in right above the reptile's nose. The catlike eyes glittered as they moved in following the motion of the stick, and the forked tongue shot out, its yellow points trembling nervously like the antennse of an insect. Otherwise the snake never moved at all, though the man could see it was all ready to strike. O’Reilly stood within a yard of the reptile in a position sufficiently dangerous to make him cautious, for the thicket in which he was entangled grew so exceedingly dense that he could not move with celerity in any direction. Although the snake’s head was in the middle of the eoil —a very awkward position for catching—the hunter nevertheless brought down the stick over its neck, intending to gently but firmly press It to the ground. The thickness of the coils was greater than that of the neck, so the copperhead was able to shoot out its head beneath the stick fully six inches beyond the coil, as if coming ri-jht toward the hunter. Quickly taking advantage of this by a jerk O'Reilly transferred the stick to ths new and better position in which the head was now placed. The dexterous transfer was not, however, quickei than the snake, for it bit the’stick in its passage. Nevertheless, the stick lay now on the snake’s neck, and ai w.lth his right hand and knee the hunter held it there firmly, he quickly reached In with his left hand and took his snakeship round the throat with the top of his thumb beneath the under jaw sufficiently far down to escape the elasp of the fangs, and yet not so low that the snake could possibly turn its head to bite him. Having the prey now securely the hunter drew it forth

from the con, , -- never moved In the slightest. But on drawing out the snake what was O'Reilly’s horror to discover that the coil was not one snake but two; and the second and larger reptile, now for the first time showing its head, was hurriedly getting ready to strike. Strike it did, and it was only the multitude of the weedstalks in which it lay that saved the naturalist's hand from the deadly venom In his long training as a snake hunter quickness of thought and action grows to be second nature with Mr. O’Reilly. A leap backward carried him out of range. The next thing was to capture, if possible, the second snake, for the hunter had no thought of letting any chances escape him. Holding his writhing captive in his left hand, and gripping his stick firmly with the right, he pressed it over tbe neck of the second reptile. But this was a powerful copperhead. It easily glided from beneath the stick, biting at it savagely, and made straight for its persecutor. Then changing its mind, it swerved and glided away in the underbrush. More than ever determined not to lose this specimen, O’Reilly followed, tramping down the weeds and calling at the top of his voice: "Lasher! Lasher! Help! Copperheads! Come in here quick!” A crash in the underbrush told the scientist that help was coming, but it would be too late for the capture of the copperhead. A few yards off was refuge fur the snake. A large rock rested partly over another and smaller one, leaning against it at an angle of forty-five degrees to the ground, thus leaving an opening behind the smaller rock. Into this opening the snake darted its head. At the sight of his quarry thus escaping, the pursuer grew reckless. Dropping his stick he threw himself down upon the ground, reached forward with his unoccupied hand and grabbed the fugitive by the tail. But he had not calculated on the shape of the rock crevice and in a moment, to his dismay, he saw the flat head of the enemy twist up from another opening between the rocks and slowly near his face. Once, twice, and a third time the savage reptile struck at his face, and the last time Mr. O'Reilly thought that he felt a drop of venom flung from the fangs to his cheek. But the snake couldn’t reach any further. Still, it was an alarming position. If O'Reilly let go the snake would be upon him before he could get to his feet. His position was not only painful, but very tiring, and he felt that he could not hold out long. The captive in his left hand was writhing and winding about his arm. and, worst of all, Lasher had evidently missed his direction, as, to judge by the sounds, he was erashing underbrush a considerable distance away. The hunter, now a captive himself, shouted to him again, and after what seemed a long time the young man burst through the bushes and ran to the prostrate O’Reilly, only to leap back with a cry

of terror. He Lad all but touched the copperhead in the naturalist’s left hand. “What's that you’ve got there?” he cried. So great was O'Reilly's relief that he grew- facetious. "That’s an African rhinoceros," l.a renlied, "and that thing in my other hand is a polar bear. Can’t you see for yourself? If you're through asking questions of great scientific interest perhaps you'll open that bag and help me cage my menagerie.” The young man got the first-caught copperhead into the bag, after which he flattened his gun barrel down over ha other snake's head. Fearing, however, that this would kill or injure the snake, the scientist told him to raise the gun. At this the reptile turned back on its own length and made for the hand thqt held it Lucky it was for O'Reilly that it had not made this move before. Upon seeing its head coming he let go his hold on the tall and took up his stick to be ready On came the snake right out of the hole and commenced to coil for a spring, directly in the open within shadow of the rock. Hut O'Reilly's snake stick forestalled It, aud slid la over its neck just behind the bead. Then it was dropped into the bag with its companion. That ended the snake hunting for the day. The two specimens are now in Mr. O'Reilly’s collection in this city. Even without them for mementoes he will not be likely soon to forget how he was caught between two copperheads and for a short space held captive with death only a short inch from his face —N. Y. bun. Was Supplying the Deficiency. In his youth and inexperience it occurred to him that he might with profit address a few inquiries to the small brother of the being he adored. "What did sister say,” he asked, "when she was told I was waiting for her?’’ “She said," answered the child, simply, “that she hadn't the face to come down, but she’s trying to fix one up now.” And with that he smiled sweetly as little folks are wont to do when they have stabbed people to the heart. —De troit Tribune. Exact Definition. Minnie —What do you understand by the term "platonic affection?” Mamie —It usually means that the young man feels that he cannot afford to marry.—lndianapolis Journal. When looking around for Christmas presents for the little ones, don’t forget that Coffee Bros, have everything you desire in this line. Candies by the ton, nuts by the bushel and all other good things in large quantities. Go and see them when you purchase.

Meyrs <S Middleton, Is the name of a firm in our city, doing business on th* corner of Monroe and Second streets, where they handle Apples. 1 otatoes, Cabbage, Onions, and Sauer Kraut in car lead lots, They are making these articles a specialty and can furnish them cheaper than any firm in the city. ’ Apples from 60c. to SI.OO per bushel, and other goods in p'roportion. They are also agents for the famous Painesville Nurseries, OF PAINESVILLE, OHIO. Which ,1. W, Middleton ha? represented here for rear* They will also keep in stock all kinds of Garden and Farm Seeds, from the above Nurseries. Farmer, can be supplied with the famous Hackberry and big Yellow Seed Corn, timothy and Clover Seed will also be kept in stock. Pear, Plum, and Cherry Trees at 35 eents each. Give us a call when desiring anythirg in our line. Myers & Middleton. Basement under Pete Holthouw & Co'. Clothlßg SWr.. For a Good Dinner or Lunch, Drop in at the ... . 6verythi ” B *■ “PEOPLE’S.” y° u will be convinced.